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Convictions and Touchstones
Convictions Each character begins with one to three Convictions: human values they attempt to uphold even after death. The specifics of these Convictions are up to the player. They might reflect a religious code, a personal ethical core, a vampiric path, or just things the character does or balks at doing without ever really considering their philosophical weight. The Storyteller should feel free to reject suggested Convictions on the grounds of taste or of suitability for the type of story they intend. Some example Convictions might include: * Thou shalt not kill * Kill only the unworthy/unbelievers/ in fair combat/in self-defense * Never expose children to violence * Love thy neighbor as thyself * Disobedience is dishonor, Obey authority * Protect the innocent from harm * Courage is the highest virtue * Always keep your sworn word * The truth is sacred; thou shalt not lie * Slavery is evil, None may control me * Never do drugs (or drink alcohol) * Thou shalt not torture * The guilty must be punished * Rob from the rich, give to the poor, Reject wealth, for it corrupts * Never act against another (insert own group/faith/sect) * Always aid women in need, Stand up for the disenfranchised * Respect (insert religion here) as sacred and obey its moral laws Incurring Stains in the service of your Convictions mitigate some of the Stains. Violating a Conviction may also, at the Storyteller’s discretion, incur one or more Stains as well. Chronicle Tenets The troupe should assemble a set of chronicle Tenets, based on anything from genre emulation, dramatic irony, to personal taste or real-life player concerns. Remember that Tenets only impose moral sanction and degeneration on the characters when violated – if a player might genuinely risk trauma by playing a story featuring a given violation, the Storyteller should either avoid that subject or invite the player to join a different troupe to explore a different chronicle entirely. Chronicle Tenets apply to all player characters in a chronicle, even if the character doesn’t hold this belief personally. The struggle between a character’s individual moral code and that of their society forms one of the core stories in human literature, after all. The chronicle Tenets comprise a kind of ethical ground floor, so that when and if the characters do become nihilistic serial killers, it carries a cost. Also make sure to talk through the chosen Tenets in your group, so that all players understand what they mean and what kind of actions would consist violations of these Tenets. Some sample chronicle Tenet sets follow: humanist * Thou shalt not kill, save in selfdefense * Thou shalt not rape or torture * Thou shalt not harm the innocent creed of justice * Never kill the innocent * Be your own, never submit * Without a cause, you are nothing gothic/romantic * Never deny true love * The guilty should suffer * Uphold the norms of decent society street code * Never snitch * Respect others, and demand respect * Don’t kill outsiders Touchstones Each vampire begins with as many Touchstones as Convictions: humans who represent what you used to value in life, someone who represents or seems to incarnate one of your Convictions. If lost, the Conviction is lost as well. A Touchstone must be a living human being; connecting to Humanity through the inhuman is, at the very least, going the long way around. A Touchstone might be: * Your surviving human spouse, lover, or parent * Your human child, or (for older vampires) a descendant of your family line * A human who looks exactly like someone you loved in life * Someone you have come to recognize as a rare decent person even in your eyes: a volunteer at the animal shelter, a priest, a nurse, a social worker, a nice old lady in the neighborhood * Someone who guards, symbolizes, or protects a thing you value: the doorman of the building you used to live in, the cop on your old beat, a crusading reporter, the single mom living in your childhood home, the caretaker who sweeps your gravesite Touchstones provide links to and mechanical support for your Humanity.